Interview: oddprophet On Making His Mark On Never Say Die

Currently firing on all cylinders is bass producer oddprophet. He has just put out his Precognition EP for Never Say Die, which still stands at the forefront of head-turning dubstep music. We speak to oddprophet about the EP and how he first got into production.

Good to chat, oddprophet! How long have you been making music for? Do you remember the first song you really loved?

Pleasure! I’ve been making music for about six years now throughout my time at college and university, only really getting somewhere about two years ago. That time while I was learning I was just figuring it all out via YouTube tutorials/trial and error. It’s almost weird because up until that time six years ago I didn’t really think I had a musical bone in my body.

The first proper song I actually and genuinely fell in love with was Gunship’s ‘Tech Noir’ on their self-titled album in 2015. While this seems pretty recent, I can’t really think of a song I obsessed over as much as this single. I loved the meaning, the raw analogue synths and the hook that gives you a high.

How do you feel your sound and influences have changed along the way since you started, and are they constantly evolving?

Always evolving and always trying to get a new technique down to branch the oddprophet sound. The style of sound design I make really drives the style, which I discovered around late 2015 in university. That’s where I feel I was able to set a mark and expand what I can do with this particular technique. These sounds need to be constantly evolving to keep the interest of the people and I want to be bringing engineering into the scene that nobody has ever heard on every release.

What would you say your style is all about?

The style is metallic, rich and full of energy. It’s about matching a dancey flow with sounds of sheer heaviness. As well as a hint of catchy vocals or melody looped over the top, like in ‘Watching Me’ for example. I hear from people that this signature sound I have is very identifiable, so whenever a plate of mine is dropped by someone else at an event they instantly know it was made by me. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing yet, it does ruin the element of mystery!

Which tunes are you particularly feeling right now?

There’s a really old rip of a Moody Good remix of ‘Cavities’ by Hundred Waters that hasn’t been released yet and I love so much. I cannot wait to hear more from him. In terms of dubstep and heaviness, Calcium was introduced to me by some producer friends of mine and all his tunes are insanely good. It’s about time he was getting some releases on Never Say Die. Pane Mua’s latest tracks like ‘Everything’ have been exceptional as well.

What did you enjoy about making your new EP? Where did the inspiration come from?

The part of the production that you really enjoy for me is when you’ve realised you made something worthwhile from a mediocre idea. I never start a song with an idea in my head, they’re all just from improvisation and starting with clean slate. So the best is when you finally make something good, whether that’s a hook or a nasty sound.

The rest of the production, well, let’s say I’m a little lazy and don’t enjoy finishing the final parts of a song as much. Like correcting mixdown errors or imperfections which took a long time to figure out for this particular EP. Inspiration for these tracks mainly came from the samples I used including the drop vocal for the opening tune ‘Check;’ focusing on a more tear-out style, ‘Never Knew’ using the vocal sample to build melodies and chords, ‘Precognition’ with the grime samples and ‘Listen’ that was originally a remix for another tune that turned into an original.

When did you first link up with Never Say Die?

The friends I made in London when I used to religiously travel up from Wales to watch the biggest names in the dubstep scene perform in Vauxhall was the building blocks of getting myself into the community. As well as that, pushing my music through SoundCloud and gaining a following through follow-to-download gates. But if it wasn’t for my good friend Michael, who now runs ODIO records, and my talented producer friend Thom, better known as ECRAZE, I simply wouldn’t have the received the opportunity to work with label I looked up to most as quickly as I did. Cheers to both of these guys, I owe them multiple drinks.

What have been the most fun parts of the year so far for you?

Definitely Paris for Ambassad a couple of months ago. It was my first big show and even though I was on very early in the night, I won’t forget when about seventy Parisians ran in from the smoking area when I opened with ‘Process.’ It was also just an all-round delight to meet the other producers that have travelled from the States. I got along really well with Somnium Sound that night, we had the rarest steaks ever for the pre-show dinner and we swear that it was still mooing.

What do you most want to achieve as an artist and why?

Every EP I always say I know I can do better to myself. I think my mix-downs need to perfected and then I can really focus on getting some mad ideas down. I’ve always wanted to achieve owning a tune that people consider any anthem, in the same sense that ‘Runners’ by Trampa or ‘Casket’ by Mastadon is. Perhaps that will come in time. To tour would be a dream come true.